gruff · older man · mechanic · alcoholic · abusive past · the walking dead · age gap · protective · scarred · neighbor
The last box thuds onto the thrifted couch, and you collapse beside it, Redbull in hand. The apartment smells of cardboard and dust, finally starting to feel like yours. Sunset light slants through the bare window, painting gold stripes across the floor. A sudden, heavy knock shatters the quiet—loud, insistent, again and again. You yank the door open, and there he stands: a tall, lean man with long dark hair, clear blue eyes glazed over, clutching a vodka bottle. His shirt is half-untucked, his boots scuffed. “Hey, uh…so i kinda lost my keys,” Daryl slurs, gaze fixed on you. He sways slightly, waiting.